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In Sweden we just found out that a mother lost custody of her baby because she was a sex worker and now an ambassador for the green party @miljopartiet, @mptukia has been forced out of politics after stating that sex work is work and that sex workers have human rights.

1 (Информации за лиценца на англиски јазик. Ве молиме почитувајте ја лиценцата Криејтив комонс.)The Swedish original of this article was written by Carl-Johan Liljedahl and first published as“Barn till prostituerad omhändertas” (Child of prostitute taken into care)atKristianstadsbladet (January 13th, 2018). The terms “prostitution/prostitute” and “sex buyer” were replaced with “sex work/sex worker” and “client.” The copyright for the original article lies with Kristianstadsbladet. It is not licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The images and tweets above and below did not appear in the original article. Translations of articles do not represent endorsements of titles, images, terms used or views expressed therein, or of the authors who have written or the media outlets that published them.

In Sweden we just found out that a mother lost custody of her baby because she was a sex worker and now an ambassador for the green party @miljopartiet, @mptukia has been forced out of politics after stating that sex work is work and that sex workers have human rights.

1 (Informations de licence en anglais. Merci de respecter la Licence Creative Commons.) The Swedish original of this article was written by Carl-Johan Liljedahl and first published as“Barn till prostituerad omhändertas”(Child of prostitute taken into care)atKristianstadsbladet (January 13th, 2018). The terms “prostitution/prostitute” and “sex buyer” were replaced with “sex work/sex worker” and “client.” The copyright for the original article lies with Kristianstadsbladet. It is not licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The images and tweets above and below did not appear in the original article. Translations of articles do not represent endorsements of titles, images, terms used or views expressed therein, or of the authors who have written or the media outlets that published them.

In Sweden we just found out that a mother lost custody of her baby because she was a sex worker and now an ambassador for the green party @miljopartiet, @mptukia has been forced out of politics after stating that sex work is work and that sex workers have human rights.

Sex-working mother loses custody of her child 1

Östra Göinge, Sweden. January 13, 2018.

Mother is devastated by court ruling.

The mother worked as a sex worker in a village in Östra Göinge, where she advertised her services via the internet. She started doing so after running into financial troubles when her son was only two to three months. She invited men into her apartment and had sex with them for money. Her earnings amounted to around 2,000-2,300 euros per month.

The mother and her son lived more or less isolated, except for the visits from her clients, who stopped having sex with the mother if the boy woke up in his crib next to the bed. The mother said the boy never seemed to be scared but was curious of them.When the boy would wake up, the men went home, understanding the situation since they had children of their own, according to the Administrative Court’s ruling.

Everything came into the open after a concerned person reported the mother to social services, whereupon the son was taken into care. This happened without any formal evaluation of the situation, although the mother’s actions were confirmed by her online ads.

In Sweden we just found out that a mother lost custody of her baby because she was a sex worker and now an ambassador for the green party @miljopartiet, @mptukia has been forced out of politics after stating that sex work is work and that sex workers have human rights.

The Administrative Court attached special importance to the fact that the mother had invited strangers buying sex into her home. According to the court, the overall situation meant that there was a significant risk that the son’s health and development would be harmed.

By her own account, the mother closed the book on sex work since her son was taken into care. However, the Administrative Court believed there was a risk that she would repeat her behaviour and has therefore decided that the son should remain in state care in accordance with the Care of Young Persons Act (LVU).In addition, the court held that the mother had shown indifference regarding the safety and protection of her son by bringing male strangers to her apartment.

Instead of sex work, the mother will now look for other work and in the meantime, she has applied for government support, although sherealises that those payments won’t be as high as the 2,000-2,300 euros she earned from sex work. The woman also stated that she had resumed contact with her own mother, who had promised to help her.

According to the Administrative Court she is “devastated about the consequences for her son”.She can appeal against the court ruling at the Administrative Court of Appeals in Gothenburg within three weeks.

Click on the image to read the full article

Translation for SWAT by Ophelia Eglentyn fromFuckförbundet, an association founded in Sweden in the spring of 2017, by and for sex workers.

“Our two key functions are to uphold a community that offers support for all kinds of sex workers in Sweden, and to raise the awareness on sex workers rights and the negative impacts from the current set of laws. … If your feminism excludes marginalized groups of people then it’s not worthy of it’s name.”

“The aim of SWAT is not only to provide sex workers and allies with a network to enable sex work knowledge sharing across as cultural and language barriers, but also to reward contributors for their work whenever possible.”

1 The Swedish original of this article was written by Carl-Johan Liljedahl and first published as“Barn till prostituerad omhändertas”(Child of prostitute taken into care)atKristianstadsbladet (January 13th, 2018). The terms “prostitution/prostitute” and “sex buyer” were replaced with “sex work/sex worker” and “client.” The copyright for the original article lies with Kristianstadsbladet. It is not licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The images and tweets above and below did not appear in the original article. Translations of articles do not represent endorsements of titles, images, terms used or views expressed therein, or of the authors who have written or the media outlets that published them.

“Sexual harassment happens in prostitution as it does in any other job. Solutions are needed that do not criminalise all clients.

We are neither ‘fallen’ nor incapable of expressing or withholding consent, nor are all our clients perpetrators. … Our boundaries deserve the same respect as everyone else’s.

First and foremost, it is social prejudices about prostitution that render it difficult for us to protect ourselves. That is because they lower the threshold to use violence against us – among clients, among the police, among everyone.”

Insightful article by Marleen Laverte that first appeared at German daily die tageszeitung.

By Marleen Laverte1

Sexual harassment happens in prostitution as it does in any other job. Solutions are needed that do not criminalise all clients.

“If somebody grabs at you, take his hand away immediately and make it clear that he mustn’t touch you without paying!” That was one of the first tips I got from a fellow sex worker. Back then, in 2011, when I began doing business at Café Pssst!, a bar with back rooms. I sounded out potential clients while flirting with them – the kind who put their hand on a woman’s ass or breast but eventually would not go to one of the back rooms with them. They had to go to the bank first to withdraw cash, they would say, and then simply did not…

“We are the sex workers of Korea! Repeal the Anti-Sex Trade Laws!”

On October 24, 2017, sex workers rallied once again to call for the abolition of South Korea’s Anti-Sex Trade Laws, which came into force in 2004 and were upheld by the country’s Constitutional Court with a6-3 majority rulingin 2016. On Tuesday, about 1,500 sex workers made their way from Daegu, Jeonju, Masan, Paju, Pohang, Pyeongtaek, Suwon and Wonju to join their colleagues at Sejongno Park in downtown Seoul to demand respect for sex workers’ human rights and the decriminalization of sex work. The event was organized by 한터 Hanteo, the National Union of Sex Workers. Ironically, Korean president Moon Jae-in had a meeting with union leaders on the same day, promising to closely cooperate with workers in developing his administration’s labour policies.

1. Banner behind the stage of the massive sex worker protest in Seoul, organised by 한터 Hanteo, the National Union of Sex Workers. As the director of an English language institute pointed out on Twitter: “Better English here than on most ads coming from major Korean conglomerates.”

2. Massive turnout! Around 1,500 sex workers came from Daegu, Jeonju, Masan, Paju, Pohang, Pyeongtaek, Seoul, Suwon and Wonju to join the protest and demand respect for sex workers’ rights and the decriminalization of sex work.

3. A photo from the first-ever sex worker protest in Belfast in 2014 in front of the Stormont Parliament Buildings was on display at the sex worker protest at Sejongno Park in Seoul on October 24, 2017.

4. Sex worker activist 장세희 Jang Sehee greets fellow sex workers who came from all over Korea to join the protest in Seoul on October 24, 2017.

5. Drumming up support for sex workers’ rights! Amazing performance by 여성타악그룹 도도 (Women Percussion Group Exciting DoDo) at the sex worker protest in Seoul on October 24, 2017.

6. This lady’s placard calls on Korean president 문재인 Moon Jae-in to finally scrap laws criminalising sex work; while on her top it says, “Don’t judge a girl by her clothes”.

7. A Korean journalist busily typing away at yesterday’s sex worker protest in downtown Seoul. Over half of the media reports published so far include the term 성노동자 (seongnodongja, sex worker) – as opposed to 성매매 여성 (seongmaemae yeosong, lit. sex trade female; ‘seongmaemae’ being used interchangeably in Korean for both ‘prostitution’ and ‘sex trafficking’ [sic]).